It was a whim, I admit it. My daughter had been dancing for several years, and it looked like such fun that when the studio owner offered a beginning class in tap and jazz dance for adults, I just had to sign up. So what if I was in my late thirties, somewhat overweight, and had never taken a dance class before in my life?

That beginning class opened a whole new set of joys to me, and also made me aware that dance is no easy activity! Did I hurt? You bet! But my muscles adjusted and, as an added benefit, I lost weight and gained some flexibility. My class even performed in the recital--oooo, the lights! the applause! I loved it!

The next year I added beginning ballet and continued with both tap and jazz, and the following year I switched to advanced tap and jazz with the teenagers. Those were very challenging classes! I enjoyed them thoroughly and loved being able to keep up with the kids. Then again, I also enjoyed the adult ballet class. It was no less challenging, even if my classmates were my own age! I continued to perform in the annual recital and my ballet class even danced in competition. We won third place--what a feeling that was!

I took dance classes for a few more years, but eventually had to give it up. The cost, while not outrageous, was still very high with both Erin and myself in multiple classes. That and the amount of time I had to invest were too much for me, but I don't rule out returning to dance when my time and funds are more my own.